Friday Morning – Trip Day
St. Ivy's front gates looked like the launch site for a teen reality show.
Two buses.
Three teachers.
Thirty loud students.
And roughly ten thousand collective nerves.
I arrived a few minutes early—duffle bag slung over my shoulder, travel hoodie, hair slightly tousled. Classic low-profile mode.
Didn't work.
"Jay! Morning!"
Sofia sprinted across the parking lot, floral-patterned suitcase in tow. She immediately looped her arm around mine.
"Dibs on bus seat next to you."
"Didn't we assign seats?"
"Life assigns nothing. I take what I want."
Emma marched up with a clipboard like she was preparing for war.
"Yes, we did assign seats," she said, adjusting her glasses. "And Jay is in Row 3. Sofia, you're Row 4."
Sofia pouted. "Why are you always one clipboard ahead of my plans?"
"Because I know you."
Iris skipped over next, a backpack bouncing against her. "Where am I?"
Emma hesitated.
"You're next to Tyler."
"Yessss," Tyler whispered behind me like a victory prayer.
Amaya walked up a second later, quietly standing beside me.
No words. Just that soft smile that still somehow made my heart pause.
Bus Boarding Begins
Mr. Brooks held a thermos in one hand and a megaphone in the other.
"Board the bus in alphabetical order," he called, voice already sounding like he regretted his job.
Sofia: "Alphabetical is oppression."
Emma: "It's organization."
Noah: "I'll sneak in through the luggage compartment."
I climbed in, took my seat, and within seconds…
Sofia plopped into the one behind me.
Emma sat in the aisle across, diagonally.
Amaya beside me.
Cue the staring.
Bus Ride – Hour 1
"Okay," Tyler said, spinning around in his seat (two rows ahead), "we're gonna play First Kiss Stories."
Emma: "No."
Sofia: "Yes."
Iris: "YES."
Tyler pointed at me. "Jay, go."
I blinked. "I've already told you."
"Tell them."
Sofia leaned forward. "Wait, you have kissed someone?"
Emma turned her head.
Amaya froze slightly beside me.
"…Sort of?" I said.
Sofia gasped. "Who?!"
I smiled. "A lady never tells."
Noah: "You are not a lady."
Jay: "A prince then."
Tyler: "He's dodging. Classic Markov maneuverer."
Rest Stop – Hour 2
We pulled into a roadside tourist station.
Stretch. Snack. Bathroom.
Amaya quietly offered me a bottle of water before I even said I was thirsty.
Emma muttered about overpriced sweets.
Sofia bought two sets of matching charm straps and forced one onto my phone.
Tyler chased pigeons for no reason.
And Iris?
She bought matching sunglasses for her and Tyler, then made him take a ridiculous selfie with peace signs.
She looked like she was having the time of her life.
He looked like he didn't mind one bit.
Bus Ride – Hour 3
Luna passed out in the back row with her sketchbook on her lap.
Emma put in earbuds and pretended not to glance at me every few minutes.
Amaya leaned against the window, her hand resting slightly closer to mine with every mile.
Sofia wrote something in a notebook while humming.
Noah started reciting haikus out loud.
"Swimsuit season here
Chaos blooms beneath the sun
Jay is doomed again"
And me?
I just stared out the window.
Thinking about how peaceful everything seemed now.
Knowing that wouldn't last.
Arrival – Hot Spring Village Inn
"Welcome to Kiyosato-Yama," Mr. Brooks read off the sign as we stepped off the bus. "Take a deep breath. That's the smell of responsibility leaving your lungs."
The inn was exactly like the brochures.
Carved wooden gates.
Bamboo-lined paths.
Rooms facing the mountains.
Hot spring steam curling into the sky.
Our class oohed and aahed in sync.
Tyler: "We're in an anime episode."
Emma: "And I have to keep you people alive through it."
Room Assignments – The Shock
Mr. Brooks handed out room cards like he was dealing poker.
"Four girls to a room. Four boys to a room. Jay?"
He handed me a single key.
"Wait," I said. "Where's my—?"
"You're in the smaller tatami room. Solo. Closest to the front desk."
Emma blinked. "He gets a private room?"
Sofia: "Royalty treatment. I support it."
Amaya: "…I think he needs the break."
Tyler: "Bro's gonna sleep so hard."
I just blinked at the card.
A room alone?
Blessed and cursed, depending on who came knocking.
Unpacking – Late Afternoon
I dropped my bag in the small room—mat, lantern, low table. Cozy.
Then stepped out to explore.
Luna was taking photos of the koi pond.
Noah tried to jump the stepping stones and nearly fell in.
Emma was already unpacking the itinerary with the front desk.
Tyler waved me over from the courtyard.
"Bro. There's a gift shop. They sell matching yukata. We are going to destroy this town."
I grinned. "Let's start with dinner first."